Bridget Jones in the 21st century

Bridget Jones – the woman, the myth, the legend.  We all know the tales of Bridge’s hapless love life, battle with her weight, and her determination to quit smoking and drinking.

 

When having a bad day, or a night in with the boys (Ben & Jerry), I often refer to myself as having a Bridget moment.  I sit in my sweats, eat my body weight in carbs and high calorie goodies, and guzzle wine while watching The Notebook (or other equally depressing films).

 

Poor Bridge has gained quite a reputation as being unlucky in most aspects of her life.  Her trademark ‘stomach holding in pants’ are a prime example of the ‘plump’ image that we were given of Bridget throughout the films.

 

However, after watching Bridget Jones’ Diary the other night I began to think about what I was seeing.  Bridget actually has her life pretty sorted: she has her own flat, a good job (until she sleeps with her boss and has to leave, of course) and two men fighting over her (and not just any men – Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver!!  Aka Colin Firth and Hugh Grant).  What shocked me most was that in her diary entries she always mentions her weight.  It fluctuates between 130lbs and 140lbs throughout the film (around 9st to 10st).

 

From the way this is discussed in the film you would think she was weighing in at much more than that.  I haven’t been 9st since I hit puberty!! Yet, at 9st, Bridge needs her stomach holding in pants.  Does this mean I need stomach holding in pants?!

 

My lovely evening plan of watching Bridget Jones’ Diary & feeling better about myself took a slight unexpected turn. I realised that I don’t have my own flat, I don’t have two men fighting over me (and if I did they would most likely not look like Colin Firth or Hugh Grant), I weigh in heavier than Bridget...

 

Perhaps it is time to stop using Bridget as the matriarch of ‘real, unlucky women’ and remember that she is ‘Bridget Jones, wanton sex goddess, with a very bad man between her thighs...’